Many patients with breathing disorders such as central sleep apnea (CSA) display periods of rapid respiration followed by a relatively long compensatory pause in respiration. The clinical manifestation of the disorder is a period of shallow rapid breathing followed by frank apnea or hypopnea. This pattern repeats episodically and is called Cheyne Stokes Respiration (CSR). Several treatment regimes have been proposed to alleviate CSR, including a technique presented in detail in the utility application incorporated by reference.
Historically, the ability to control respiration via phrenic nerve stimulation is widely known and well reported in the literature. Early work shows the use of phrenic nerve stimulation to treat paralyzed patients to initiate and support respiration. A substantial body of animal research discloses the basic mechanisms for respiration control though stimulation of the phrenic nerve.
Although phrenic nerve stimulation is known in the art there is a continuing need to improve the “leads” devices for accessing and electrically stimulating the phrenic nerve. And there is a continuing need to improve the stimulation methodology.